Rivalry, Take II - Game, Set, and Match
by I.W.P-chan
Summary: ShuAke Confidant Week Day 5: Blackmail/Exposure/Trickery. It's Shujin's Cultural Festival, and there are Thieves to blackmail.


Summary: ShuAke Confidant Week Day 5: Blackmail/Exposure/Trickery. It's Shujin's Cultural Festival, and there are Thieves to blackmail.

 _Note: [puts chin on hands] I should probably stop making my entries happen on the same occasions of the ranks themselves. Maybe. Who knows._

 **Warnings: Morgana Doesn't Want To Witness Any PDA, Neither Does Ryuji, It's Blackmail Time, Lots Of Kisses, Author Had To Do Her Best To Not Turn This Into Pancake Harem.**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own P5.

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"So, your school's cultural festival is tomorrow?" Goro asked as he put down his cup of coffee.

Ren stood at the doorway, offended, "That's how you welcome me back? No 'welcome back' or 'honey, you're home' or 'how has your day been'?"

"Shouldn't you be the one to say 'honey, I'm home' so I can tell you that you're back awfully late?"

Sojiro sent him a Look, and Ren grumbled as he moved away from the doorway to go upstairs and change before returning to the café to help Sojiro behind the counter.

"Yeah, it's tomorrow." Ren shrugged as he cleared up the table behind the other customer aside from Goro who'd been at Leblanc, "Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if we could go together."

"Go? Together?" Ren inquisitively raised an eyebrow as he deposited the empty cup of coffee and dirty plate he'd gathered from the table in the sink, "Like a date?"

"Yes." Goro smiled widely at him, eyes glinting in a way that told Ren Goro also had something else planned, but Goro didn't elaborate.

"I'll leave the café in your care," Sojiro declared, stepping around Ren to take off his apron and put his jacket and hat back on, "Since it's this late and it's only your boyfriend in here, I'm leaving you to close up the café."

Ren mock-saluted in response, not bothering to correct Sojiro about Goro being his boyfriend because they weren't- _yet_.

"And no funny business!"

"Certainly!" Goro chirruped, making Sojiro eye him suspiciously through the door.

Ren was just glad Morgana decided to hop out of the bag and head to Sojiro's place when he saw Goro was in the café; he wasn't ready to deal with Morgana's bitching about Goro.

"So. A date to the cultural festival?"

"It's a classic." Goro turned his sharp smile towards Ren, "I've never been to a school's cultural festival with you before, so this is an invaluable chance."

Ren leaned across the counter, bracing himself on his arms, "And?"

"And what?"

"What else do you have planned? I know that look."

"Oh, you caught me." Goro looked inappropriately pleased, "I'm pretty sure you and your friends would all plan to go to the festival as well, correct?"

Ren nodded, already having an idea about what Goro could possibly say next.

"I want to talk with your merry band of thieves, naturally, gauge what kind of company you keep." If possible, Goro's smile widened.

Ren's phone was already pinging with message notifications by the time Goro finished talking.

He wished his friends could be less obvious about it, because the timing was terrible.

"Maybe you should check on that," Goro said, glowing in his self-satisfaction, "Tell your kids I already have my blackmail ready." Goro stood up and leaned forward to press a kiss to the corner of Ren's mouth, "Take care, Ren-kun, I'll see you tomorrow at Shujin," Goro whispered, hot breath fanning out against Ren's cheek, before he retreated and headed to the entrance.

Ren waited a few minutes after the door closed behind Goro to take out his phone; it was vibrating with the incoming messages so hard, Ren was afraid the mass messaging broke his phone's vibration function.

He unlocked his phone to check his messages, taking a few minutes to catch up to the chat that started from when Futaba came screeching about Goro calling them Ren's 'merry band of thieves', and broke out into a worried mess for the next couple dozens of messages before they all turned into awed resignation.

Let it not be said that Ren didn't do his best to warn them about Akechi Goro; initially, they thought he was overestimating Goro, blowing his skills out of proportion, because there was no way Goro could find out about their actions in the Metaverse.

But then they'd heard from Shadow Madarame about the one in the Black Mask, and Ren had let slip that he knew Goro had the app; he'd always known about it, he just didn't know what it was until it skipped to his own phone when he moved to Tokyo for his probation- there was no way he wouldn't know about it when it stared back at him boldly every time he fiddled around with Goro's phone (which happened a _lot_ ).

Ren had used the opportunity to feed them stories about Tantei-san (he absolutely wasn't completely smug over succeeding in making them all a bit in awe of Akechi Goro, not at all, and whoever said anything else was a filthy liar).

He quickly confirmed with everyone that they would be present the next day, and they all affirmed; they'd already agreed, after all. Next, he sent the confirmation to Goro, who told him to go to bed already.

Ren huffed in amusement as he slipped his phone back in his pocket and busied himself with locking up and starting on the dishes.

It didn't take a while before Morgana slipped back into the café, radiating disapproval.

"Are you happy?"

"I don't know." Ren shrugged.

Morgana rolled his eyes and huffed, his tail flicking behind him in irritation, "I can't believe you let us get caught by that detective so easily."

"Oh, did I?" Ren blinked at him in curiosity, and Morgana sagged, flopping down to the floor.

"No, you didn't. I'm just pissed off at you for frolicking with the enemy-" 'Frolicking with the enemy?' Ren mouthed at him in disbelief, "-but I also know that you've known the detective for a long while, and he's very interested in you, and that we've been on his radar since he tracked you down in Shujin, so me being pissed off is irrational. But I can't help it! The situation is so irritating!" Morgana huffed, "So much for being elusive phantom thieves… We're already caught… With an accusation of murder hanging over our heads as well. No, wait. Make that two. What's he going to do to us?"

Ren hummed in thought, "Well, if you're expecting him to act like you predict he would act, by which I mean arrest us all and cart us to the police, who would be happy to take us into custody, then let me tell you the most important rule in dealing with Goro-san: he'll always surprise you. He's tricky like that." Ren turned off the faucet and dried his hands before taking off his apron, "He has his own agenda, otherwise he won't continue going to the Metaverse with all the dangers it poses all by himself. And it's not money or loot. You know what Goro-san is most skilled at when it comes to phantom thieves?"

Morgana frowned, "Didn't you say that they call him Phantom Killer or Phantom Hunter? Doesn't that mean he's captured plenty of phantom thieves?"

"Captured?" Ren snorted, "He hadn't captured any phantom thieves. At all. No. He is the most skilled at thwarting phantom thieves, keeping them from their target, chasing them off, and chasing them down. But he has yet to make an arrest."

"What? Why? Don't tell me-"

"When he corners a phantom thief, he strikes a deal with them."

.

The next day, Goro came to Leblanc in the morning to pick up both Ren and Futaba, the former giving him a lazy wave with Morgana sending Goro unimpressed looks over Ren's shoulder, and the latter squinting her eyes at him, clearly still miffed about what happened the night before.

"Good morning, Ren-kun, Sakura-chan, Morgana."

Ren nodded in response while Morgana just ducked back into Ren's back, and Futaba pouted.

"Don't give me that 'good morning'!" Futaba grumbled.

"I thought we had an understanding, Sakura-chan." Goro had the gall to blink innocently down at her, and she poked her tongue out at him.

"We do! I'm still mad about yesterday!"

Goro smirked, and Futaba huffed, crossing her arms.

"Shall we?" Ren interrupted; if he let the two have their verbal match now, they'd never get to the festival.

"Naturally, my dear," Goro said as he stepped to Ren's side, offering him his arm, which Ren took, "Lead the way."

"Not like you don't know it, you stalker."

.

The rest of the Thieves met them at the school entrance, their eyes boring into Goro's and Ren's interlocked arms, but not commenting on it.

"Hello, Akechi-kun, and welcome to Shujin," Makoto started, "It's a pleasure to meet the person frustrating my sister so much."

"Your sister," Goro said, head cocked to the side, smirk stretching across his face, but he couldn't hide his annoyance from Ren, who simply leaned against him, more inclined to watch the show, "Niijima Sae, correct?"

Makoto nodded, her eyes trained on Goro's face. She probably would have continued talking about the topic had Ryuji not groaned out load and complained.

"Come on! Save it for later! We're here at the festival for a reason!"

"Of course, my apologies." Makoto smoothed her hands down her skirt, "Let's head in, everyone."

The group entered the school and milled about for a bit as they wondered what to do at the festival before Ann ushered them towards her and Ren's class' Takoyaki stand.

"Takoyaki?" Goro murmured in his ear, "Would you like to share one with me?"

Ren allowed his eyelids to droop to half-mast, "Are you suggesting indirect kissing in front of everyone?"

Goro raised his eyebrow in challenge, "What? Don't you have the guts for it?"

Ren chuckled lowly, and started to respond only to be interrupted by Morgana digging his claws into Ren's side lightly and hissing at him while poking his head out of the bag, "You can flirt _after_ we get our Takoyaki! I want to try it out, so stop stalling and go!" He huffed and ducked his head back into the bag.

Goro stiffened against him. It was barely noticeable to anyone, but Ren wasn't just anyone, and he noticed it right away.

(Plus, he was practically pressed against Goro, it would be nearly impossible to miss it.)

Goro tilted his head towards the bag and whispered furiously, "Did your cat just talk?!"

Ren smirked at him, "I don't know, did he?"

Morgana emerged again from the bag, this time not annoyed; instead, he sported a smirk matching Ren's, "Oh, you didn't know?"

Goro stared at the floor blankly before he raised his head and gave both cat and cat-in-human-form a deadpan look, "This explains a lot."

"Now, get going! Takoyaki awaits!"

Ren shook his head in amusement and led Goro towards the hallway outside of his classroom, where the rest of the Thieves waited for them, having gathered around a table, leaving three chairs empty for the stragglers.

Haru looked up when she saw them approach, "Oh, there you are! Sorry but we took the liberty to order while we waited for you." She looked sheepish, and Ryuji shrugged.

"Not like they actually had any variety on their menu anyway. We could only order only one kind of Takoyaki, I figure."

The two sat down, Ren slipping his bag into the chair next to him so that Morgana could comfortably poke his head out to talk with the rest.

Not long after they settled down, the student tasked with serving the festival guests arrived with their order, placing it on the table before leaving with a chirpy parting shot.

"A maid outfit?" Goro raised an eyebrow before he turned to stare inquisitively at Ren, who batted his eyelashes at him flirtatiously.

"Do you want me to wear one for you?"

"Sounds interesting."

"Hey, dude!" Ryuji called out, "Eat your Takoyaki and _then_ go to some dark corner to flirt or suck faces or whatever it is that you do in your alone time."

Ren hummed, "Alright then, you suggested that we share one, didn't you, Goro-san?"

Goro merely tilted his head to stare curiously at the Takoyaki sitting innocently at the table, with one bright red piece proudly displayed in the middle.

"Is this the special Takoyaki?" Ann stared at it in suspicion. Haru clapped her hands lightly.

"Oh! I want to try it out!" She paused and looked around the table, "Unless someone else wanted to?"

When no one else piped up with a response, she looked back at the Takoyaki, "Alright, then." She reached for the 'special' Takoyaki and plucked it out of the plate, bringing it to her mouth to take a tentative small bite. "Oh!" Her eyes widened, "It's spicy!" She fanned herself for a bit before taking another small bite.

The rest of the Thieves watched her nibble on it in slight awe for a few seconds before deciding to reach for their share of the Takoyaki, Makoto taking one out for Morgana as well and holding it in front of him so he could nibble on it without staining Ren's bag or needing to stand on t he table to eat it. They then shoved the plate with the remaining two pieces towards Ren and Goro.

Goro hummed as he reached for one and held it between him and Ren.

"Ready?"

"Naturally."

The two leaned in close to one another to share the Takoyaki between them, ignoring the stares they received from the rest as they each took a bite of the snack, lips pressing against each other and teeth clacking as they tore it in two. They pulled back slightly, licking their lips before they chewed.

Ryuji twitched, "Ugh! A warning would have been nice? I didn't need to see my friend basically kiss his boyfriend in front me."

"This is your only warning," Ren said as he retrieved the remaining piece of Takoyaki, which was devoured the same way as the previous one.

Ryuji slammed his head against the table, "That was done too quickly for me to turn my head away…"

"Damned if you do, damned if you don't, I see." Ann hid a smile behind her hand.

.

"Well then, now that we've left Shujin," Yusuke started, peering at Goro as the group headed towards Shibuya station, "What did you want to discuss with us?"

Goro sent him a sharp smile, "It's not something that should be talked about in the open, so I would rather we all meet at Leblanc for this, given that it's a place I'm absolutely sure would offer enough privacy. You all go on ahead; I'll catch up with you later with the necessary materials." He pressed a kiss to Ren's head before stepping away from him, "And don't try to run, I know where each one of you lives." He sent them a wide grin with too many teeth as he disappeared into the crowds.

Ren shrugged HIS shoulder unoccupied with his bag, "To Leblanc, it is."

The Thieves shared displeased looks, but still walked with Ren and Futaba to their train.

.

When they arrived at Leblanc, Sojiro took one look at them before declaring that he was going to close-up shop for tonight and then leave to his house.

The group all murmured their thanks to him before they huddled together around one of the booths, waving to Sojiro when he walked out of the café.

Taking one look at the tense teens in the café, Ren decided to make them all something to drink while they waited for Goro.

Goro didn't make them wait for long, as he arrived at Leblanc half an hour later, with a bag thrown over his shoulder.

He smiled at them, clearly pleased that they didn't decide to run away, before walking towards them, snatching one of the chairs at the counter on his way to place it at the table of the booth the Thieves had gathered around. He sat down on the chair and placed the bag on the floor next to him before retrieving a ring binder out of it and placing it on the table.

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" His smile widened, and he opened the binder to the first page, "Your first heist target Kamoshida Suguru-"

And then he proceeded to the lay into the Thieves with every piece of evidence he managed to find, detailing targets, motives, pictures of calling cards, and pictures of the Thieves themselves whenever they made their way into and out of a 'scene of crime', as he dubbed it.

As he continued to talk, Ren walked over to him to lean on his back, skimming over the contents of the binder. Goro barely paused when he felt Ren's weight against him, keeping his decimation of the Thieves his priority.

The Thieves were staring at the detective more in shocked awe than fear and trepidation, and Ren had to suppress a wild grin at the implications of their reaction.

Goro probably thought Ren didn't fill the Thieves in on how to be a proper Phantom Thief, but Ren was sure the Thieves had surprises for him in store.

Goro thought the Thieves were safer than his usual 'fare' because they were still half 'normal', they still hadn't taken to the life style and antics of an actual phantom thief. Which meant he'd commit the worst mistake ever in their presence.

He'd let his guard down around them.

Ren bit down a cackle.

"-and my final note on the situation is this." Goro concluded his lecture before he unlocked his phone and placed it down on the table where the Thieves could see the MetaNav proudly displayed on its screen.

The Thieves' gazes darted between the phone, the binder, and Goro, taking in the situation.

Haru was the first to break the silence, pointing at the binder, "Ren-kun isn't in here."

Makoto blinked, "You are right, Haru." She turned her head towards Goro with a raised eyebrow, "It seems you have everyone present caught in pictures. Well, everyone except for Ren."

Goro surprised them by chuckling fondly, tilting his head up to stare at Ren, "I'm not surprised. He was never one to make things easy for me. If I had evidence on him with how elusive he actually is, I'd be disappointed."

Ren fluttered his eyelashes, "You know I always know when you have your gaze on me." He took his own phone out and unlocked it before presenting its screen to Goro, "It's a shame you can't say the same thing."

Ren could feel Goro go still for a second before relaxing at the sight of Ren's homescreen wallpaper: a carefully taken shot of Goro slumped asleep over the very same binder he had in front him, with files and paper clips scattered around him, and a line of drool slipping out of the corner of his mouth.

"You look positively adorable." Ren cooed.

Goro sighed, dropping his face into his palms, "When did you take that picture?"

"Now where would the fun be in telling you? You're a detective; you can figure it out, yes?" Ren sent a Look the Thieves' way, and they all looked back at him over Goro's head with eyes twinkling mischievously.

If there was one thing Ren had taught the Thieves about how to deal with detectives on their trail, then it was…

Makoto cleared her throat while the rest of the Thieves wiped their previous expressions of their faces to stare at Goro, who'd finally raised his head to look back at them, with blank expressions.

"Akechi-kun, what do you want from us?"

Goro braced his elbows on the table and leaned his chin on his entwined hands, "To join you on your trips to the Metaverse, of course. You didn't think I would let you run around unsupervised for long, did you?"

The Thieves looked at each other before turning their undivided attention to the detective in their midst, and Makoto nodded, a serious expression on her face, "That makes sense." She tapped her lower lip with her index finger before she leaned forward slightly, "Then you wouldn't mind sharing your contact information with us so we can discuss this in the group chat later tonight. I'm afraid we can't stay here any longer as it's getting late and we wouldn't want to miss our trains."

Ren carefully kept his composure as Goro hesitated for a moment before nodding.

With that, the group shared their contact information with Goro, who also shared his, before they trickled out of the café, leaving Goro, Ren, and Morgana behind, with the latter heading to the attic.

"So?" Ren said as he leaned back against the counter.

"So?" Goro parroted back from his position, leaning against the table in front of Ren.

"Joining our band of merry thieves, I see." Ren smiled teasingly at Goro, who huffed in amusement and stood straighter, hand reaching back to take a hold of the binder and throw it Ren's way.

Ren caught it, one eyebrow raised inquisitively at Goro, who stepped closer towards him and reached with his hands to cup Ren's face.

Goro then pressed a kiss to Ren's lips.

Ren stilled in place, blinking in shock at Goro, who pulled back with a faint smile.

That was their first _actual_ kiss.

"What brought this on?" Ren asked, keeping his hands locked around the binder to make sure he wouldn't end up doing something impulsive, like pulling Goro back in and kissing him senseless.

Goro shrugged, "Nothing, really. I just wanted to kiss you, is all. We've never kissed properly, before."

Ren deadpanned at Goro, who chuckled in amusement.

They both knew why they never kissed properly before, the weight of the secrets of the past heavy in the air between them, despite how comfortable they were in each other's presence, the invisible line they'd drawn between each other, a line they kept toeing, but never crossing, a line that would never be crossed until their selfish wish to uphold the rules of the game they'd stopped playing long ago ceased to be a powerful enough driving force to make them maintain the distance between them.

But now.

Now…

Goro took the first step across the line.

'Nothing, really,' he'd said.

'I just wanted to kiss you,' he'd said.

Ren wanted to punch him for how simply he put it.

"Also," Goro said, breaking Ren out of his thoughts, "Do whatever you want with that-" He gestured at the binder, "-tear it, burn it, I don't care. It's yours to do with whatever you wish."

Ren relaxed his fingers around the binder and tugged Goro closer to him, "Part of me wants to throw it in your face. But that doesn't matter at the moment. Now kiss me again."

"Gladly."

.

End

Waiting for the moment Goro realizes he gave his contact information to the Mother Hens of Hearts.


End file.
